


Mad World

by muses_circle, xtremeroswellian



Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [8]
Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: Angry Chloe Sullivan, BAMF Chloe Sullivan, BAMF Sarah Blake, Dean Winchester has a one track mind, Dean's in the doghouse, Discussion of body parts, F/M, Grumpy Sam Winchester, Guns, Like the dismembered kind, Lying to get what you want, Sam's visions, grave robbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:26:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muses_circle/pseuds/muses_circle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Sam has a vision that leads the group to do research and the brothers right into trouble.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Sam Winchester, Chloe Sullivan & Sarah Blake, Chloe Sullivan/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester
Series: Two Guys, a Girl and a Chevy Impala [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722754
Kudos: 2





	Mad World

That stretch of Highway 90 West was endless. And there was nothing around except tall grass and swamp water. Neither of which Dean was interested in, he mused as he pushed on the gas, heading out of New Orleans. It wasn't hard getting everyone going: they all seemed keenly interested in leaving as soon as possible. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed anyone following them, so Gordon had either taken off or gotten arrested. All he knew was if he saw that man again, his ass was dead.

He saw a sign for the Tabasco plant and smiled. They all needed a break: Sarah and Sam were in the backseat, her head against his shoulder while they both slept. Dean smiled, thinking Sam was lucky to have a woman like her in his life. Glancing over at Chloe, who was staring out the passenger side, he marveled at how lucky he was, too.

"So, let's have some fun," he said suddenly, turning down the music. 

Blinking as his voice brought her out of her thoughts, she turned her head to look at him. "I didn't realize fun was in Dean Winchester's vocabulary," she teased. 

He grinned, his smile flirtatious. "Maybe you don't know everything in my vocabulary, Chloe," he replied, making the turnoff for the plant. "Besides, I love Tabasco Sauce. And I think we could use the break." He glanced at his brother in the backseat. 

"Yeah, we could," she said softly, also glancing back at them. "So you like spicy things, huh?" She smirked. 

He threw her a heated glance. "Remember that outfit you wore that night at the Roadhouse?" 

A faint blush crept up on her cheeks. "Vaguely." 

He grinned knowingly at her embarrassment. "That was spicy on a whole other level." He pulled up to the gate and paid the entrance fee for full access to the small island. He then cranked up the music and shouted, "Sammy! Sarah! Wake up already!!" 

Sam jerked awake, startled. "Wha--" 

Chloe grimaced, smacking him in the shoulder and reaching out to turn down the volume. "That was just mean." 

"Buzzkill," Dean mumbled, though the smile never left his face.

Sam's movement woke up Sarah. "Huh?" she whispered, looking around bleary-eyed.

"Who's up for a little spice?" Dean asked, looking into the rearview mirror. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. 

Dean gave his brother a look. "We need some fun, dude. So why not tour the Tabasco plant? Might as well, since we're out in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah, and why is that, exactly?" Sarah asked with a yawn.

Dean pulled the Impala into a parking space and shut off the engine. "To make sure we weren't followed," he whispered in a low voice. 

Sam was fully awake almost instantly. "Do you think we were?" he asked with an edge to his voice. 

Chloe glanced back at him, and then at Sarah, shaking her head a little. "Neither of us saw any signs that we were," she assured them quickly. 

"I didn't see anything," Dean replied, backing up Chloe's words. "We're okay, I think. Probably need to stick with back roads for awhile, though, just in case." He wasn't going to let anyone sneak up on them ever again. He saw Sam's worried look and sighed. "Relax, man." 

"Easier said than done," Sam murmured, looking out the window. 

Sarah put her hand over Sam's and sighed. It would be a long haul for him, but as she glanced at Chloe, she knew she'd have plenty of help.

Dean looked around the small buildings that were surrounded by miles of pepper plants. "Ready?" he asked everyone, trying to remain eager though he was just as tired as they were. 

"Always wanted to tour a Tabasco Plant," Chloe said with a smirk as she climbed out of the passenger seat. 

"My dream come true," Sam mumbled. 

Dean's smile faltered as they got out. "Gee, be a little less enthusiastic," he grumbled, locking the doors behind them.

Sarah got out and watched Dean's face. He was trying so hard to keep them all together and happy. She walked up beside him and said, "I know what you're trying to do, and... thanks for the effort." With that, she ran over to Sam and took his hand.

Dean shook his head, knowing Sam had a good woman. He headed towards Chloe when he suddenly saw Sam double over in pain, grabbing his head. Dammit, another vision, he thought. 

Chloe realized what was happening the same time Dean did. She quickly moved to Sam's side, resting a hand on his back. 

Feeling a blinding pain shoot through his head, Sam grumbled, "Shit" before he was completely encased in his vision. Darkness. A fire. People hunched over around something on a table... a person on a table, but it wasn't a person. It was... parts of a person. He felt evil encompass him. Falling to his knees, he closed his eyes, tears leaking out of the corners.

"Sam?" Sarah asked, her composure gone when she felt him fall. "What's wrong?"

"Another vision," Dean whispered. So much for fun, he thought. 

Chloe placed a gentle hand on Sarah's arm, looking at her intently for a moment before they both knelt down in front of Sam. "Easy," she murmured. 

"I'm okay," Sam replied after several moments, still on the ground. Fortunate that there was no one else around to witness his collapse, he thought briefly, struggling to his feet.

"Dude, what'd you see?" Dean asked, his eyes dark with concern. He looked at the clump of trees that held some picnic tables and nodded towards them.

Taking Sam's arm, Sarah led him towards the table she had noticed Dean looking at. 

Chloe followed behind slowly, glancing at Dean with troubled green eyes. 

"There were....people, gathered around some...I don't know, some operating type table and there were..." He grimaced at the memory. "Body parts." 

Sarah blinked in surprise. "Body parts? What... were they doing with them?" She cringed even as she spoke the words, her hand steady on his arm. 

"I'm not...sure," he admitted, grimacing as his head began to ache worse. He rubbed his temples. "They were all on a table...it almost looked like a person but it wasn't...it was just...the parts." 

Chloe grimaced a little, as well. "Sounds oddly familiar," she murmured. 

"Frankenstein," Sarah whispered immediately, not looking at anyone.

"What?" Dean replied, surprised at the certainty in her voice. "As in... tall, green, grunts, spikes out of his neck?" 

"Actually that's...Frankenstein's monster," Chloe said off-handedly. "But yeah." She looked at Sarah. 

Dean's gaze settled on his brother, who was pale and looked like he was going to pass out. "Dude, did you see anything else? Any jars, tubes, flasks of stuff? Powders, voodoo dolls, books... anything?" He wondered why the hell anyone would want to bring someone back from the dead. 

"No," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "But whatever's...it's evil. Really evil." 

Sarah glanced at Chloe, her eyes filled with concern. "Then we need to look into it," she whispered.

Dean nodded. "Come on, let's find a place to crash." 

Chloe tucked some blonde hair behind her ear and looked around, a cold chill running down her spine. "By the pricking of my thumbs," she murmured. 

Though she felt a similar rush of fear pass through her, Sarah smiled crookedly. "Good thing we're not in the acting business, cause you'd be in big trouble saying that." She looked at Sam hesitantly. "You okay now?" 

"Yeah. Just...have a headache," he said almost inaudibly, his eyes holding a far away look in them. 

Taking his keys out, Dean looked longingly back at the Tabasco plant entrance. Fun would have to wait: apparently they had something evil to hunt and kill. What bothered him most, however, as they piled back into the car and backtracked to New Iberia, the nearest town, was how Sam would handle all this now that he knew who he was. 

&&&&&

Chloe unlocked the door to the room she'd be sharing with Sarah, a silent agreement between the two girls that would serve more than one purpose: by allowing them to start researching into Sam's background and allowing the guys to have guy-time. 

Sarah hauled her bags in and dropped them just inside the door. Shutting it behind her, she smiled ruefully at Chloe. "I'm beginning to understand why the guys pack light," she said, her eyes darting towards the wall that adjoined the guys' room. 

"Oh, they don't. They just leave most of their stuff in the trunk," she said with a faint smile as she pulled her laptop out of its case and set it on the desk. 

She snorted. "Boys and their toys." She eyed the laptop and sat down next to Chloe. "So where do we start researching Sam's... background?" She didn't know how to describe it, frankly, but she knew two people having a child did not make him part-demon. Wouldn't that mean Dean would be, too, she asked herself, paling a little. 

"It's a good question. I guess...the first thing we should try to figure out is what kind of demon he's supposed to be anyway." She chewed on her still swollen lower lip. "Though I'm not exactly sure how to do that considering there's about a million different kinds." 

"Maybe... maybe we should start with the one that killed his mother and... his girlfriend?" she asked, her eyes downcast. 

"Probably a good place," she said softly, a sense of dread resting on her shoulders. "Though..." She glanced at Sarah. "I think there's something else we need to do first. I'll be right back." She rose to her feet and headed out of the room, knocking softly on the guys' shut door. 

"Okay," Sarah replied softly, watching her friend leave. Her eyes returned to watching her hands, her face sad at what they might discover.

Dean answered the door and found Chloe on the other side. A comment filled with innuendo was on his lips, which died the second he looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked. 

She smiled her brightest thousand-watt smile. "Hi, honey." 

He frowned. "Don't Hi, honey me, Chloe. What's wrong, dammit?" He pulled the door shut so Sam couldn't hear their conversation. 

"Nothing. I was just...hoping you'd let me borrow the car for awhile." 

His eyes narrowed. "Why?" He knew she was up to something. Her eyes were too bright not to notice the hint of mischief behind them. 

"Well, Sarah and I need to go shopping." 

He cocked an eyebrow. "Out... here? In the middle of nowhere?" He pulled out the keys, though, and handed them to her. 

She grinned and took the keys from him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "We'll be back later." 

He pulled her to him, letting his lips linger over hers. "Hurry. Don't make me wait all night," he whispered before letting her go. 

She lifted a hand to his cheek for a moment. "Take care of Sam?" 

"I always do," he replied, his face stony with determination. 

"I know you do." Her voice was soft. "We'll be back as soon as we can, okay? If you need anything, call my cell." 

"Anything?" he replied, a sparkle in his eyes. He reluctantly stepped away. 

A mischievous grin spread across her lips. "Well you can call but I might not be able to help with certain things right away." 

"Who said you have to touch me to get the job done?" he said casually, watching a blush creep over her cheeks. He grinned. 

Chloe shook her head a little. "Well. Keep your phone close. I may just have to see if there are other ways to get to Dean Winchester." Her voice was teasing and the surprise on his face made her smirk. 

"Thank God, I've created a monster," he replied once he had recovered from his shock. He leaned in and kissed her again, a promise in that meeting of lips. 

She winked at him then pulled away, heading back to her shared room with Sarah and opening the door. She held up the keys to the Impala. "Let's take a little field trip, shall we?" She grinned. 

Her eyes brightened. "Oh, how'd you get those?" she asked, standing up and grabbing her purse. 

"I asked nicely." She giggled. 

A knowing glint entered her eyes. "Uh huh, I bet you did. Gonna get kicked out of my bed again?" she teased a little as they headed for the Impala. 

Chloe flushed, giving her a sideways glance. "No. Dean and I will figure something else out." She smirked a little and headed to the driver's side of the Impala, climbing in quickly and starting the car. 

"Never tell me," Sarah said, buckling herself in. As Chloe pulled the Impala out of the parking lot, she looked at her sideways. "So... where are we doing, anyway?" 

"Shopping," she said with a small smile as she shifted Dean's car into gear. "Provided we can...find a mall or something." 

"I think we passed the turn for the mall on our way to the hotel," Sarah remarked with a wry smile. Why of all times did Chloe want to shop now? "And what are we buying at the mall?" She lifted her eyebrows in amusement. 

Chloe glanced at her briefly before taking the exit Sarah mentioned. "Sarah, I don't know about you, but...I kinda feel like the guys do most of the work and...it makes me feel weird." 

"Tell me about it," she said, looking down. "I always feel like... I get in the way or something. Makes me wonder why Sam wants me around." 

"Well...personally I say we fix that." A smile tugged at her lips. 

"How?" she asked slowly, a curious smile on her face. 

"For one, we're gonna get you your own computer." She grinned. 

She laughed out loud. "Thank God for Dad's credit card." She got out of the car once Chloe parked the car. "Please tell me weapons are gonna be next." 

Chloe's grin widened. "Weapons, books...and a laminator." 

"A... laminator?" Sarah asked, keeping pace with her friend, a little surprised. "We planning on pressing and sealing the guys up?" She giggled at the thought. 

She laughed. "Fun as that might be...I was thinking more along the lines of official looking identification cards." 

Sarah thought about that for a moment and grimaced. "You mean to make fake ID's and such, like Sam and Dean have?" 

"I have a feeling we'll need our own eventually," she admitted. 

She nodded. Chloe was right, of course. With all the scams and illegal activities the guys must do to have successful hunts, she imagined they must have several aliases and ID's in case things go wrong. "Might be cool to make up our own names," she replied as they entered the computer store. 

She smiled a bit, sensing Sarah was still fairly uncomfortable with the thought of the legalities which this lifestyle entailed. "All right, do you know a lot about computers?" 

Sarah blushed a little. "I know how to turn it on and off," she replied sheepishly. "You and Sam are the computer experts." 

"It's okay. You're a quick learner. I'll help you." She smiled at Sarah and moved to browse the laptop section. 

With Chloe's assistance, Sarah was able to pick out a laptop with all the extras money could buy. She smirked a little at the price. "Dad's gonna blow a gasket when he gets the bill," she told Chloe as she paid for her new laptop. 

"Will you be in trouble?" she asked with a hint of worry in her eyes. 

"Nah, I'll just... pay the bill on my new laptop," she replied with a wink. "Where to next?" 

"Book store." She led the way and both of them wound up buying their own small library on things beyond-the-pale, as well as a couple on self-defense. After the bookstore they headed to a small gun shop at the far end of the mall. She glanced sideways at Sarah, feeling a little nervous. 

"This is way out of my league," she whispered as she and Chloe looked at the vast array of handguns, shotguns, and other assorted weapons. "You know anything about it?" She eyed a particularly small handgun and immediately thought how well she could hide it on her body. 

"Not really," she admitted, feeling uneasy. "I've handled a gun exactly two times in my life and once I almost shot my ex-boyfriend." 

Her laughter was sputtered and short. "Really? Uh... that's... wow." She leaned in towards her friend. "And he still went out with you?" she teased gently, trying to break the tension. 

Chloe chuckled softly. "Well, he knew it wasn't on purpose. We were sort of...in the middle of a huge riot and I thought he was one of the bad guys." 

Sarah blinked in surprise. "Was this in Smallville?" 

"Metropolis, actually." She glanced sideways at her friend. "Huge blackout about a year ago." 

Asking the gun retailer about the handgun she had been eyeing, she glanced over at Chloe. "Boy, you weren't kidding when you said you've seen some weird things. What, uh, caused the blackout?" 

Chloe's face paled a little. "Intergalactic war," she said just loudly enough for Sarah to hear. 

She would ask if Chloe was kidding, but the look on her face said she was deadly serious. "I guess I'll take this one," she said to the man behind the counter. She glanced at Chloe. "How about you?" 

"The one next to it," she said, nodding to a gun similar to the one Sarah had just picked out. 

"You ladies know there's a three day waiting period, don't you?" the guy asked with raised eyebrows. 

Sarah looked blankly at the man. "There is?" she asked innocently, fully aware of the grace period. 

He smiled a little and shifted his gaze to Chloe. 

"Is there any possible way we could..." She leaned closer. "You know, get around that? My ex-boyfriend's been following me and I.." Her eyes filled with tears. 

The guy looked dubiously at Chloe before looking at Sarah.

"Seriously? This guy's a creep," she whispered, looking sympathetically at Chloe. "He's even threatened me for taking her away from him. What if something... you know... happens to her before then?" 

A tear trickled down her cheek. "It's not me I'm afraid for, it's..." She rested a hand against her stomach, looking up at him with tearful green eyes. "I'm six weeks pregnant." 

The guy's jaw dropped in shock. "What a bastard."

Sarah nodded quickly. "You have no idea," she said, patting Chloe's hand in comfort.

He sighed softly. "I think I can make the waiting period go away. As long as it's an emergency situation." He looked pointedly at Chloe. 

She sniffled a little. "I'd really appreciate it." Some small part of her felt very guilty for lying to the poor man before her, but technically it was an emergency. There was evil in town and she needed to be able to protect herself and her friends. 

Watching the guy walk off with their handguns, Sarah sagged a little. "I can't believe the guys do this... all the time," she whispered, feeling bad for having lied to the merchant. 

"I know," she whispered. 

The guy came back with their permits and their weapons in boxes. He eyed them again, but based on the deeply worried looks the girls gave him back, he said nothing as he took their payment.

"That was... kind of easy," Sarah remarked as they left the mall. "Think they'll teach us how to shoot, though?" 

"I think they'll be more than happy to." She smiled faintly as she climbed into the Impala, putting all of their things in the backseat. 

"Maybe Dean would," she replied, her smile dying on her lips as she realized Sam probably didn't want her anywhere near a gun. She got into the passenger side and sighed. 

She glanced at her friend sideways. "It's all gonna be okay, Sarah." 

"Yeah, I guess." She stared out the passenger side window. "I don't know what to do to help him, though, and he... he doesn't seem to really want me around." 

"He wants you around, he's just...he's scared," Chloe said softly, starting the engine. 

"I am, too," she admitted quietly, watching the mall move into the background as Chloe started back to the hotel. "But he won't let me in, so... hence the helpless." She sniffed back a tear. "God, I'm such a sap," she muttered. 

"No, you're not. It's...hard when you learn someone you love isn't exactly...what you thought. Especially if they haven't accepted it themselves." 

"You sound like you've been there before," she said, not looking at the blonde behind the wheel. 

"You could say that. It was...different than this in some ways, but..." She shrugged a little. 

"It's always different," she whispered, a tear streaking down her face. 

"Yes, it is," she said softly, parking the Impala in the hotel parking lot once more and looking at her friend. 

It took her a moment to compose herself and look at Chloe, but there was a small smile on her face when she did. "So should we try out my new laptop or show the guys what we got?" 

"Let 'em be surprised. I'm gonna take Dean's keys back to him though." She climbed out of the driver's side, grabbed her bags, including the small bag of items she'd hesitantly bought from Victoria's Secret and headed toward the room, leaving the stuff on the bed and heading next door to Dean and Sam's room. She knocked softly in case the latter was asleep. 

There was nothing on TV, and with Sam finally asleep, Dean was ever grateful for the soft knocking on the door. He nearly jumped off the bed and yanked the door open impatiently. Chloe stood on the other side, keys in her hand with a small smile on her face. "About time you got back," he growled, shutting the door quietly behind him so they wouldn't wake Sam. 

"I take it that means you missed me?" she teased in a whisper. 

He smirked. "I could show you, but then we'd be arrested for indecent exposure." 

A smile tugged at her lips. "How's he doing?" 

"Tired, has a headache. You know, just like last time, only with the extra sock to the gut for fun." His eyebrows furrowed, making his face dark with anxiety. 

She sighed softly, sliding her arms around his waist in a small attempt to comfort him. 

Though he leaned into her embrace, pulling her to him, he was at a loss as to help his brother. He knew what Dad had told him was the truth: his father wouldn't have lied to him, would he? "No," he muttered, holding Chloe. "He wouldn't lie to me. No way." 

Slightly alarmed that Dean was gaining some mind-reading ability, she slowly pulled away to look at him with wide green eyes. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the almost fear in her eyes. 

"What uh...what brought that up?" she asked uncertainly. 

"Brought... what... up, Chloe?" he asked, eyeing her warily. "I was just thinking out loud." 

"Right," she murmured. "It just...was random." She managed a faint, somewhat strained smile. 

She was hiding something: that much he knew. It shone in her eyes, a knowledge she wasn't ready or willing to share with him. He was slightly peeved but let it go. "Speaking of random, what'd you buy at the mall? And please tell me there's underwear involved." 

"Do you ever think of anything besides sex?" she asked lightly, a smirk on her face. 

"You mean, since I met you?" he teased back, the glint of lust in his eyes. "You did get something, didn't you?" 

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Maybe." 

He looked at her, anticipation in his eyes. "I'll take that as a yes," he whispered, taking her hand, "but something tells me you bought some other stuff, too." 

"A lot of other stuff," she admitted. 

Dean's smile faltered a bit. "What, you're not going to tell me?" He glanced at her room. "Do I need to storm in there and go through your stuff?" 

"Only if you wanna be sleeping on the floor for the next week," she retorted, giving him a look. "I helped Sarah pick out a computer and we got some books for research." 

He backed off with hands held in the air. "Hey, just kidding," he replied, trying to keep the tension between them down. "So Sarah's caught the research bug, huh? That's good. Makes her an even better match for Sammy. What, uh, kinds of research books? Maybe something to do with what he saw?" 

"More general. Ghosts, poltergeists, demons, witchcraft...that kind of thing." 

"Lucky for you, I might have something on Sam's visions," Dean replied, ducking back into the dimly lighted room and grabbing his father's journal. 

Her eyebrows furrowed as he appeared again a moment later, holding a thick leather-bound journal. "Dean, what is this?" 

Turning it over in his hands, he whispered, "Dad's journal. Everything he's hunted, killed, tracked is in here. Patterns, random thoughts, you name it." He looked up at her, a far away look in his eyes. 

Swallowing hard, she gazed at him intently. "Dean..." 

Sighing, he opened the shabby, well-used leather book to the place he'd marked with his finger. "Dad and I have been here before, like I've said. He's got some notes here about the different religions special to this region, namely Voodoo and Hoodoo." 

"Dean, Sarah and I can hit the net and see what we can find. You should keep the journal with you," she said gently. 

Dean frowned. "This is usually where Sam and I start." He held the book up in front of him. "I think maybe some cult or something is behind this… when isn't it?" The last comment he spoke more to himself than to her, though her face grew pale at his words. 

"If you want us to start looking here, that's fine too," she whispered. 

He looked down, uncertain. "No, you girls so have your fun with your new toys. I'll be..." He motioned to the Impala. "Loading the guns with lots of rock salt." 

"Dean, are you okay?" Her voice was soft and she lifted a hand to his cheek. 

He closed his eyes at her touch. "Fine," he replied, no hint of anything in his voice. 

"Why don't I believe you?" 

He chucked. "Because you've figured out I'm a horrible liar." He looked into her lovely green eyes and smiled. 

She gazed at him intently. "Come on. Let's go talk, okay?" 

He shook his head and pulled away. "No, this is more important. We need to help Sammy and hunt down what he saw." It was all more important than his feelings on the matter, he thought. 

Chloe pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you." 

He lingered over her kiss, reluctant to let her go but forcing himself to do so. "Yeah, I know you do," he replied with a loving smirk. 

"I'll be next door if you need me." 

"Okay," he whispered and turned towards the Impala. He had work to do, anything to keep his mind off the potentially fatal job they had ahead of them. 

Feeling like she'd somehow let him down, she watched him go, her shoulders slumping slightly as guilt swept over her. 

&&&&&

It had been a long night, and Sarah couldn't believe she and Chloe had actually stayed up, Googling every kind of weird or freaky phenomena that had happened in the South Louisiana area. What they found was immense and more than scary. She had read about more mystic religions, magic potions, and casting spells than she ever knew about. Secretly, she wanted to try out that potion on turning a person into a rodent, but unless they saw Gordon again, she doubted she'd ever get to try it out.

However, the one thing that did catch her eye was the weird body-snatching events in three cemeteries in New Iberia and surrounding areas. She and Chloe knew it had to be more than coincidence with Sam's visions.

"Think the guys'll be up?" she asked Chloe, who looked as tired as she felt. 

"I don't know, it's pretty early." She yawned. "And I am in definite need of a triple latte." 

"Coffee sounds good," she said, standing up and stretching. "Didn't happen to see a coffee shop last night?" 

"Me either, unfortunately. I think we may be outta luck this time." 

Sarah sighed and stared out the window. "Maybe the lobby has... something resembling coffee?" Even if it was battery acid, she'd take it at this point, she thought. She needed a kick before facing Sam again. 

"We can go check it out," she agreed, rising to her feet and stretching her arms over her head. 

Sarah followed Chloe out the door and towards the small one-room hole in the wall this dive called a lobby. They found the coffee pot, but the dark liquid in it looked more like sludge. She shuddered a little as she poured a cup. 

"Bottom's up," Chloe said with a hint of a smile on her lips, grimacing as she took a long drink. "Ugh." 

"Yeah, it tastes a little bit like battery acid," Sarah grumbled, knocking it back anyway. "I'd say let's get some for the guys, but I wouldn't feed this to my worst enemy." 

She shuddered a little and finished off the grainy sludge, tossing the empty cup in the waste basket. "Hopefully neither of us dies from drinking that." 

Ignoring the glare from the front desk clerk, Sarah led the way to the guys' room and pounded hard on the door. "Just in case they're still asleep," she stated at Chloe's odd glance. 

She smiled a little, shaking her head in faint amusement. 

Dean jolted out of bed at the harsh pounding on the door. "What the hell?" he grumbled, yanking his gun from beneath the pillow, disoriented. He looked at the other bed and saw Sam was awake.

"The girls?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up slowly. 

"Has to be," he growled. "Who else knocks like that?" He got out of bed, gun cocked and ready, just in case. He peeked through the eyehole and saw the blonde and brunette on the other side. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he cracked the door, his eyes slitting against the morning sun. "Coffee?" he rasped. 

"Trust me. You don't want it," Chloe told him, making a face. 

"Ouch," Dean replied, looking back at his brother, who was hurriedly getting dressed. "Soon as Geek Boy's decent, I'll let you in."

Sarah flushed slightly, though she said nothing. 

Chloe smiled a bit, eyeing Dean's rumbled shirt and boxers. 

"Stop that, Chloe," he stated with a smile, noticing her heated glance. "Sammy, get the door, okay?" 

"Stop what? I was just thinking you needed to iron your clothes," she snarked with a smirk. 

"I'm dressed, you can let 'em in." Sam winced and rubbed his neck tiredly. 

Giving his brother a look, Dean sighed. He had barely spoken three words to him the entire night, and the fact that he still looked like he could sleep another three days bothered him. Grabbing his jeans, he opened the door and let the girls inside.

Stepping in, Sarah immediately looked at Sam, who still had that defeated look. "Morning, Sam," she whispered, mustering a small smile. 

"Hey," he said softly. "How'd you sleep?" 

She glanced at Chloe. "Uh, actually... I didn't." She saw the shock on Sam's face and frowned. 

Smirking, Dean threw an arm around Chloe. "Let me guess: you two were playing with your new toys." 

"We've got some leads," she informed him. 

Sam looked even more surprised by that news. "You do?" 

"Took us most of the night, but... I think we found something." Sarah pulled out her laptop and put it on the table, pulling up the local newspaper website.

Dean shook his head in amusement. 

Chloe sat down beside her, glancing up at the guys. "Apparently there've been a pretty large number of grave robberies in the last month," she said grimly. 

"Grave robberies. Fantastic," Sam mumbled, running a hand over his face. 

"Well, it's better than the alternative...though it's still pretty far beyond the pale," Chloe admitted. 

"Oh it gets better," Sarah whispered, not daring to look at Sam.

"How is that possible?" Dean replied under his breath, shutting up at Chloe's piercing look.

"Apparently, whoever's doing this isn't taking the whole body," Sarah continued, ignoring Dean. 

"They're just taking...pieces," she said with another grimace. 

Dean blinked. "Pieces. Wonderful." He looked at Sam, who had turned pale as a sheet. "Dude, is this what you saw?" 

"Sounds like it." He swallowed hard, feeling vaguely nauseous. "Why the hell would anyone wanna do that?" 

Sarah looked up at Sam's tormented face. "They're sick and twisted?" she whispered, feeling sick herself though she had looked at this information all evening. 

"People are crazy," Chloe murmured. 

The silence that settled among the four of them was starting to get to Sarah. She looked around the room at the long, serious faces and sighed inwardly. Settling her gaze on Sam, she took a deep breath before moving on. "So Chloe and I were thinking about scoping these graves out," she said, keeping her gaze on him. 

"Sounds like a plan to me." He looked at his brother. 

"Damn straight we're going," Dean agreed, looking at Chloe intensely. 

Slightly annoyed but suppressing it, she shrugged. "Might as well head out." 

"I'm driving," he replied, seeing her irritation and nearly laughing at it. He knew she wanted to go by herself, and probably just with Sarah, but after the Gordon incident, he wasn't letting any of them out of his sight.

Sarah closed the laptop and sighed. "Sure you two wanna come?" she asked, sensing Chloe wanted to do this hunt without them. 

"Yeah, we should probably be sticking together as much as possible," Sam said softly, not looking at anyone. The truth was, he was worried Gordon may have followed them again and he wasn't going to take anymore chances with Sarah's life. Or Chloe's. 

"Okay," she whispered, giving Sam a smile. Inside, she was happy he agreed to come with them. She was worried that he was too silent. Keeping everything to himself. She stood up and headed for the door.

Dean followed Sarah and immediately headed for the Impala, not waiting for the others. 

Chloe lingered behind for a moment, feeling unsettled as she watched Dean and Sarah leave the room. 

Sam stood there, waiting for Chloe to go ahead of him. When she didn't move, he looked at her with a slightly curious eye. "What is it?" he asked quietly. 

"Nothing," she said softly, glancing back at him. 

Shaking his head, he breathed in and headed for the door. She wasn't going to tell him, and he sure didn't want to listen to what anyone had to say at the moment. 

Chloe watched him go and let out a breath, wearily rubbing her eyes before slowly following him out toward the Impala. She slid into the backseat wordlessly. 

Dean waited for Sam to get into the front seat before taking off. "Where we off to, first, ladies?" he asked a little too loudly.

"Uh, the Hannity Cemetery," Sarah replied, her eyes focusing on Sam. 

Sam leaned back against the seat silently, staring blankly out the windshield as his brother drove them to the cemetery Sarah had mentioned. He was the first one out of the car when they arrived. 

Dean stared at Sam for a second before bolting out of the car. He took off after his brother, not waiting for the others to catch up. "Dude, enough of the silent act. Talk to me before you implode." 

"I don't have anything to say," he replied shortly, not looking at his brother. 

"The hell you don't," he demanded, moving in front of Sam and making him stop. "You're always about the touchy-feely, and the fact that you *aren't* right now really freaks me out." 

"Yeah well the fact that you are freaks me out, so back off, all right?" 

"No, dammit," he snapped, not letting Sam move away from him. "You and I are going to have this out, even if I have to beat the hell outta you to do it." To prove his point, he started rolling up his sleeves.

Sarah noticed Dean's actions and looked at Chloe. "Danger, Will Robinson," she whispered, not a hint of amusement in her voice. 

Chloe sighed softly and glanced sideways at Sarah before both of them headed toward the guys at a quick pace. "All right, come on. Violence? Doesn't solve anything, guys." She gave Dean a look. 

"But he's the one who doesn't want to talk about it," he whined, glaring at his brother. Jesus, he thought. What the hell happened to him? What had love done to him, anyway? 

"He'll talk when he's ready," Chloe told him. 

Sam smirked a little and moved away from his brother. 

"Fine, whatever. Call me when I'm eighty," Dean muttered under his breath, his adrenaline pumping without a way to get it out.

Sarah followed behind Sam, which was kind of difficult considering how long his legs were. "Uh, you got an idea where to go?" she asked. 

"Not really." 

"Can I show you, then?" She walked quickly, desperately trying to keep up. 

"Sure, why not?" His voice was even. 

When he slowed down, she tried to take his hand, but he wouldn't let her keep it. Frowning and hiding the stab of hurt, she took off ahead of him, braids swishing along her back as she walked quickly towards the grave that had reportedly been desecrated. "Here," she said, pointing at it when Chloe and Dean caught up to them.

Dean glanced down at the earth and nodded. "Yep, looks like the ground's been disturbed." He looked at Chloe. "Did the articles say how the graves were robbed? Or what body parts they took?" 

"Here's the interesting part. You'd think they just dig it up, right?" She shook her head a little and moved a little farther away, to where there was freshly overturned soil. "This is where they dug a whole and tunneled through to the grave," she informed him. 

"It's something people have been doing for... centuries." Sarah glanced at Sam, but he said nothing.

"So they pulled out the body, took what they needed, and put the rest back?" Dean asked, his face a mask of hardness to hide his revulsion. 

"Pretty much," Chloe said with a grimace. 

Sam looked away, that vaguely nauseous feeling making him recoil a little more. "What did they take from this one?" 

Sarah cast a worried glance at Chloe. "The legs."

"Okay, I am officially grossed out," Dean replied with a grimace.

"Here's the interesting thing, though," Sarah said, cocking her head. "The graves that have been desecrated... these people all died around the same time." 

"So...we've got some kind of freaky ass cult taking body parts of people who died around the same time for...what purpose exactly?" Sam asked, shaking his head. 

"Good question," Dean replied thoughtfully. "Guess we need to find out if all these people died on the same day." He looked at the headstone. "January 10th. Does that mean anything?" 

"Not that I can think of offhand," Sam murmured, looking troubled. 

Chloe glanced at Sarah. "Guess we need to hit the computers again." 

"Guess so," she replied, a small twinkle in her eyes. "Let's get back to the hotel." She turned and headed for the Impala without waiting for the others.

Doing a double-take, Dean watched Sarah walk off. "Sammy, again I say... marry that girl." 

Chloe smirked a little at his remark and followed Sarah quickly. 

Sam watched the girls go and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at his brother. "You realize we were just upstaged, right?" A small, faint smile appeared on his lips. 

Dean smirked at his brother. "Thanks, Captain Obvious." He sighed and scratched his head. Seeing Sam's smile, he grumbled, "You're enjoying this too much." 

"You're not?" 

"What, I can't enjoy the fact that someone else wants to be in charge?" he asked, a tired smirk on his face. 

Sam rolled his eyes and his gaze followed the girls back toward the Impala. "We can both enjoy it." 

"You sure you're going to?" he asked, eyes weary on his brother. Sam's smile had faded, and the blank look covered his face once again. 

"What?" He blinked and glanced at Dean briefly. 

"Look at you, dude. You've barely said a word since we left New Orleans. Hell, Sarah keeps trying to get you to talk to her and you shoot her down. I figure, you'll talk when you're ready... but how can you enjoy the fact that our women are helping us out when you're too much in your head to see that?" To emphasize the point, he poked Sam in the head with his index finger. 

Sam turned to glare at him, his eyes intense. "Just leave me alone, all right?" He headed away without looking back. 

Dean watched Sam storm off. He was tired, exhausted from everything they had been through in the last year. The fact that they had help, two intelligent and beautiful women who wanted to get to the bottom of Sam's vision, impressed him more than he'd ever tell them. But it bothered him and pissed him off that Sam didn't seem to care about anything anymore... and while he knew the reason behind it, there was something in the back of his mind screaming for his brother to let him help get to the bottom of it. Because Sam Winchester was not evil.

He couldn't be, Dean thought. Because it might mean he was, too. With a sudden weariness and a general self-loathing, he trudged back to the Impala.

Sarah glanced at Chloe, who was watching the guys head back to the car. "Sam shouldn't have come," she whispered, worried at the black look on his face. 

"I know," Chloe said softly, glancing at her sideways. "I don't think Dean should have either." She paused for a moment. "Sarah...” 

Chloe's tone of voice bothered her. "Yeah?" she asked. 

"This is gonna sound strange, but...I've got this feeling that...” She bit her lip, feeling uneasy. 

Sarah turned to look at Chloe, whose face had suddenly gone pale. A shiver of fear crept across her shoulder. "What? Tell me," she whispered, turning her back to the guys. 

"I think we're supposed to do this one ourselves. I think we should keep the guys out of it as much as possible." Her voice was very quiet. 

Hearing Sam approach, Sarah quickly whirled around and whispered, "You're right," to Chloe before pasting a small smile on her face for Sam. Not that he had noticed, because he strode around the car without so much as a look in her direction. "Yeah, we should," she continued, bowing her head in sadness. 

She reached out and touched her friend's arm, meeting her gaze momentarily before turning to look at Dean. The guys needed a serious break. And they were just going to have to take one, whether they liked it or not. 

&&&&&

"All right. So here's what we know." Chloe slowly paced the length of the motel room she was sharing with Sarah. "All of the victims of the grave-robbing died on January 10th. "Four all together. Stolen body parts were legs, arms, a torso and a head." She grimaced a little, disgusted. "So clearly someone's pulling a modern day Doctor Frankenstein. We know it's a cult of some kind, likely involving Voodoo or Hoodoo or some kind of dark magic." 

"Right... and Sam saw them putting this thing together," she replied, sitting and watching Chloe pace. "Here's the problem: where in the hell do we look for something like this? Even if it is some kind of Voodoo or Hoodoo, there's so much of that practiced in this area that they could be a mile away or a hundred!" She paused for a moment, a dark look crossing her feature. "What would the guys do, Chloe? With... something like this." 

She offered her friend a wry smile. "Get to know the locals, interview the families whose loved ones graves were desecrated...try to get a lead on who may be involved." 

"I guess that's where we start, then." Sarah stood up, trying to put her game face on. Her eyes reflected her constant worry over Sam, however. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about what he was going through. 

"The problem is...much as I hate to admit this...I don't really know much about all this dark magic stuff. I mean, aside from being possessed by an evil witch once..." She bit her lip. 

Sarah smirked. "You were possessed by an evil witch?" she asked, more amused than surprised. "Definitely need to tell me about that sometime. I... know a little bit... but it's only from what I've read in books and online." She blushed a little. 

Chloe smiled faintly. "So we have two options--researching, or interviewing. Or..." She paused, raising her eyebrows. "You could research while I interview." 

"So you think it's a good idea if we split up?" she asked, smiling despite her worry about Chloe going out by herself. "How you planning on getting the Impala's keys without telling Dean the truth?" 

"I'll take a cab," she said with a small smile and a shrug. "And trust me...don't worry. I've interviewed hundreds of people before. Literally." 

"I don't doubt your interviewing talents," Sarah replied with a broad smile. "Not being the reporter you were... are. And the research doesn't bother me. I really enjoy it." 

She smiled. "All right. Let's get to work. I'm gonna call a cab." 

Grabbing a pile of books off the dresser, Sarah sat down at her laptop and reached for a book on Voodoo religious beliefs. "Chloe? Be safe. Please call if there's a problem." She suddenly wondered what would happen if Dean or Sam came looking for her. Her face paled a little. "Uh, what should I tell...?” She pointed at the next room. "If they come looking for you?" 

Chloe tilted her head to one side. "Just tell them I caught a cab to go grab a copy of the local paper." She winked at Sarah and picked up the phone. "Once a reporter..." 

She laughed. "Sure thing, Ms. Sullivan."

A couple hours later found Sarah deep in research mode. She had managed to pull up a lot of information on Voodoo, which she decided wasn't the religion she thought it was. Their magical potions and spells were all derivatives of the original Haitian religion, which included many gods of light and dark. She was beginning to wonder if one of these gods, Kalfu, who controlled the darker forces of the "crossroad" between life and death, when she heard a knock on the door. And froze. "Shit," she said out loud, standing to answer it.

Dean stood on the other side, a little irritated over the silence he'd gotten from the girls' room all day. "Where's Chloe?" he immediately asked, looking behind her and seeing an empty room. 

Sarah forced a tight smile. "She went out to get a copy of the local paper. Something about checking out the local reporting talent." 

He gave her an amused look. "You're a horrible liar, you know that?" 

Her eyes widened a little and she quickly turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Laughing and going into the room, Dean crossed his arms. "I think you do. Chloe's out somewhere, doing something she doesn't want me to know, am I right?" That thought irritated him, though he really didn't want to light into anyone about it. Especially not Sarah, who had done nothing but help them. 

Sarah winced a little, then slowly let out a breath. "Yeah, but...it's nothing dangerous." I hope, she thought worriedly. 

Sighing, he nodded and looked around, noticing the piles of books scattered across the small table. "You've been busy," he commented, cocking an eyebrow. 

Sarah nodded a little. "Yeah. I actually like researching," she admitted. She glanced at him. "How's Sam doing?" 

God, what a loaded question, he thought, glancing at her before looking at the floor. He didn't know to answer that question without making her head spin around. "He's..." He sighed. "... the same." He pinched his nose with his fingers, tired of being around his all-too silent brother. "He's in serious brood mode, and when that happens... well, it could be months before he says anything." 

Her face paled a little. "Months?" she repeated, feeling stunned. 

"Unless you have a way to get him to open up..." he replied, deadly serious and no hint of insinuation in his voice. "I think he hates me." 

"He doesn't hate you," she said without hesitation. 

Dean laughed bitterly. "Sure he does. He hates me almost as much as he hates himself." He looked up at Sarah and saw a gleam of determination in her eyes. That gave him hope for Sam's future. 

"Sam is just lost right now, trying to come to terms with what he just found out," she said, giving him a look. "Right now he thinks his whole life was a lie," she added, remembering what Chloe had said. 

Dean found that comment ironic, because lately, he had felt the same way, too. Not that he would ever tell anyone, though... unless it meant getting Sam out of his funk. He smiled at his thoughts. "You're good for him, Sarah." 

"Really?" She was surprised by his words, looking at him uncertainly. 

"Well, yeah," he snorted. "For one, you haven't run away from this news. He's been abandoned too much by... You understand him, and I know he's a happier guy with you around." Too bad the boy wonder couldn't show that right now, he thought, irritated. 

She sighed softly and looked at the floor. "That...means a lot. Especially coming from..." A faint smile touched her lips. 

He stifled a hearty laugh. Her smart mouth had won him over, especially since it always brought a gleam of life into his brother's eyes. "Yeah, you're welcome or whatever," he smirked, heading for the door. "Do me a favor, Sarah?" 

"Sure thing." She looked up at him once more. "What is it?" 

"Tell Chloe I was looking for her... and help me wake Sam up?" Yeah, that was two favors, but he didn't care. He turned back, looking at her. 

A faint smile touched her lips. "Sure thing." She followed him toward the door. 

"And I mean that in every sense about my brother," Dean called, walking out the door with a grin. "Physically, spiritually, mentally, sexually..." He shut up when he got that familiar glare from the brunette. "Hey, I'm just saying." He held up his hands in mock surrender as he walked away. 

"Why don't you just worry about your own sex life?" she suggested, giving him a dirty look as she followed him into the room he was sharing with Sam. 

"I'm just saying Sammy's a bit tightly wound, that's all," Dean remarked, opening the door and letting her in first. He glanced at his brother, who was lying on his back, eyes closed. Just like he'd been all damn day. "Isn't that right, dude? Got company for you." 

Sighing heavily, Sam didn't respond, simply covered his eyes with one arm and didn't move otherwise. 

Sarah looked dubiously at Dean, unsure what she could do to help someone who clearly didn't want any. "Hey, Sam," she whispered, not looking at him. 

"Hey, Sarah," he replied, still not moving. 

"Wow, he can talk," Dean smirked to himself, backing out of the room. "I'm just gonna... get something to eat." He turned quickly and shut the door behind him.

Feeling very much like she had been cornered, she sighed in frustration and sat down heavily into a chair. She watched Sam lie so silently on his bed, looking small despite his size. And it made her heart hurt. 

"You really don't have to stay in here," he said quietly. 

She knew what he meant, but her heart lurched painfully. "I guess if I'm not wanted..." she began, choking on the rest of her words as she stood up. 

He grimaced, angry with himself for upsetting her. "That's not what...Sarah..." He slowly sat up, his face pale, his eyes tired. "I'm sorry I've been in bad mood, I'm just...trying to figure out what this all means." 

She stopped, her body stiff with hurt, rejection, and anger. "And you think the rest of us... that I... don’t want to help you with that?" She kept her back to him. 

Rubbing his eyes wearily, he exhaled. "I know you want to. But sometimes you just...have to work things through in your own head first," he whispered. 

Her breath caught in her throat, threatening to cut off her air supply. "Well let me know when you're done with that," she whispered brokenly, striding to the door quickly and yanking it open. 

Feeling defeated, Sam shut his eyes once more and slumped back down onto the bed. Alone, and lost as ever. 

Tears streaming down her face, Sarah went back to her room and slammed the door. She didn't know what was worse: knowing he didn't want to talk to her or that she wasn't worth getting off the bed and going after her. Brushing the tears from her eyes, she tried to shake off her despair and sat down, going back to reading up on Kalfu to focus her energy on something that needed her. 

&&&&&

Dean sat in the Impala, listening to music and munching on the burger he had gotten from the nearest fast-food restaurant. Chloe hadn't gotten back, and he was more than antsy about that.

So when he saw a taxi pull up and Chloe get out of it, he wasted no time getting out of the Impala and storming towards her. "Chloe!" he yelled. "Where the hell have you been?" 

Chloe jumped, startled at the yell directed at her and she turned to see Dean storming toward her, looking pissed. "Out," she responded, not liking his demanding tone. 

He snorted in derision at her response. "No duh. You getting out of a taxi kinda tipped that off." He followed her to her door. 

Growing more annoyed by his attitude, she paused with her hand on the doorknob and glanced at him, her eyes narrowed and reflecting the light from the street lamp on the sidewalk. "I was interviewing," she said crisply. 

He crossed his arms. "Oh really? And here I thought you were out getting the newspaper," he replied sarcastically. He saw her eyes flash with anger and merely sighed. "Interviewing who?" 

"Families of the grave robbed victims." She folded her arms across her chest. 

"Oh nice, interviewing the dead victim's families." He frowned, clearly irritated by her initiative. "You didn't need to take a cab. I should have been there." 

"Why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. 

He gave her a look that suggested she needed to be committed. "Why? Because the last time I checked, I was a part of this hunt, dammit." He took a step towards her, hovering over her. Admiring the fact that in her attempt to stand up to him, she was also arousing his desire for her. 

"Yeah, you are. We all are. But that doesn't mean we can't divide up tasks," she said, lifting her chin in defiance. 

"That's bullshit and you know it," he replied casually, a hint of honest anger in his voice. "What have we done since we got to this hotel? You and Sarah researching, buying things... you're off doing God knows what..." 

"Maybe that's because the two of you need a break," she said sharply, meeting his gaze. 

"Says who?" he snarked, getting in her face. 

"Says me," Chloe replied, not backing down. 

He glared at her. "Sammy, maybe, because he's pretty much a non-speaking basket case. Me, on the other hand... don't do the mother thing. I'm fine." 

"The mother thing?" she repeated, her eyes narrowing even more. 

Like that look scared him, he thought with a twisted smile. "Where you suddenly decide that you know what's best for me. Especially when it comes to what I do best." He glared back at her, needing a fight of some kind, any kind. 

"Fine," she said evenly, her arms remaining folded across her chest. "Don't take a break. Run yourself even more ragged and get even more burned out than I know you already are. Do whatever the hell you want, Dean." She pulled her room key from her jacket pocket and started to slide it into the door. 

Grabbing her arm, he whirled her around and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. "Can I do this, then?" he growled, his face inches from hers. 

She put her hands against his chest and pushed him away. "No. You can't. You don't get to insult me one minute and kiss me the next." 

"Fine. Have fun on your hunt." He turned around and headed for the Impala, hating himself for what he did to Chloe on top of everything else. He only hoped Sam was coping a little with Sarah around, because there was nothing else he could do. 

Her jaw tightened and she watched him head away. "You know, I'm not incompetent or helpless," she snapped. 

"I never said you were incompetent, dammit!" he yelled, having heard her words and turned around to stare at her. "You don't want me around? Fine. I'm gone." 

She put her hands on her hips, glaring back at him intensely. "Stop twisting my words, Dean! I never said I didn't want you around!" 

"And yet, your actions speak volumes, baby." His voice was low, flat, and emotionless. 

Looking skyward, she forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, mentally counting to ten. "Look, it's not about not wanting you around. It's about..." She paused. 

He crossed his arms again, waiting for her to speak. His anger factor was too high for words. 

"I have this feeling that...this is a hunt meant for me and Sarah." She met his eyes. 

"What?" Her words felt almost like a dagger in his back. "And what the fuck am I supposed to do while you two are out playing Starsky and Hutch? Knit a sweater or something?" 

Her jaw tightened again. "You could try kicking back and relaxing a little bit," she suggested. 

Dean threw his head back and laughed, a hard edginess to it. How the hell did he do that? he wondered. He hadn't taken a break from hunting since... never. "Right, and have the fun everyone seemed so anxious to have yesterday when I actually suggested it?" he scoffed. 

Feeling the anger begin to drain out of her, she shut her eyes for a moment. "I just have a bad feeling," she whispered. 

He took a step towards her, his stoic mask cracking just a little, the defeat and fatigue in his eyes. "Of what?" he queried softly. 

"I'm not sure, I just..." She let out a slow breath and lifted her gaze to meet his once more. "I have this feeling that if you guys get very involved in this...one or both of you is gonna get hurt." 

He cocked an eyebrow. "The Body Monster going to get us?" he asked wryly, suddenly tired. Of fighting. Of Sam's silence. Of his constant fighting to stay strong and get the job done. 

"I don't know," she said quietly. 

He reached out and gently touched her arm. "You know I can't just sit back and let you and Sarah do this... alone. Especially when you don't know how to shoot a damn gun." He smiled slightly at her. 

Feeling uneasy, she tried to smile but didn't quite manage it. "At least...let us take the lead on this one then, okay? Please." 

"Only if you let me teach you how to shoot. Never did that, you know." His eyes bore into hers intently as he put his hands on her arms. 

"Well, and now that I have my very own gun..." Her eyes sparkled. 

He snickered. "How the hell did you get that?" he whispered. 

"Some tears and a sad story will get you far in life," she said with a faint smirk. 

He shook his head. "You women and your tears. Pisses me off," he joked before sobering again. "I'm sorry for... earlier. I was worried." 

Chloe gazed up at him for a moment, then pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. "I'm sorry, too," she said quietly. "I'm not trying to be your mother, Dean. But I worry about you, too." 

"Look, I appreciate the worry, but I'm alright," he protested in a low growl. "Should be more worried about Sam." He stepped away from her and looked away. 

"I can't worry about you both?" she challenged quietly. 

A sad smile threatened to peek out but he kept it at bay. "No way. Too much to handle, both of us. We gotta get Sam to open up and then..." They she could worry about him, he thought, looking into her beautiful green eyes and wishing he could permanently get lost in them. 

"Well, then maybe it's time for you to learn that I can handle a lot more than you think," she said, meeting his gaze. "I'm tougher than I look." 

For her own sake, he hoped so. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "So what did you find out from the families of the victim's whose graves were robbed?" He grimaced. "Wow, that's a mouthful." 

"Well, they all died on the same day for one. January 10th." 

"January 10th?" he repeated, frowning in thought. "That's only been a week ago... Whoever's taking body parts needs them fresh." He made a face and followed her towards her room. 

"Well, that makes sense, if you think about it." She unlocked the door to her room and stepped inside. 

Hearing the key slide into the lock, Sarah quickly dried her eyes and focused on her laptop screen. She didn't want Chloe to see that she'd been crying. "Hey..." she called, looking up and seeing Dean with Chloe. The fake smile threatened to disappear off her face. 

Immediately sensing something was wrong, Chloe's gaze focused on Sarah's face. Her eyes were red. She'd clearly been crying, though she was trying to hide it. "Hey, Sarah, have you eaten yet?" 

Dean hovered in the doorway, seeing Sarah's tear-stained face and knowing he was going to kick Sam's ass into next week. Dammit, he thought. Sam's done it this time.

"Uh, no, actually," she replied, trying to sound upbeat. "I just got so... caught up in this research that I kinda lost track of the time." She stood and smiled sadly at Dean before looking down. "I should... probably go get something." Even if she didn't feel like eating, she knew Chloe needed her help. 

Chloe turned to look at Dean. "I haven't eaten either. Would you mind...?" She gazed at him. 

Awareness dawned on him. "Yeah, you two go girl talk or whatever. I'll hit the burger joint down the road... and maybe kill Sam on the way." Muttering that last bit to himself, he smiled at the girls and left, shutting the door behind him.

Sarah blinked and sat down, not looking at Chloe. "So what'd you find out in the interviews?" she asked wearily. 

"We'll talk about that in a minute. What happened?" she asked, sitting down beside her friend. 

"Nothing, I'm fine." She tasted the bitterness of her words even as she spoke them. "I'm just great." 

"Right," Chloe said, nodding slightly. "Which is why you look like you just had a fight with someone you love. Like... Sam." 

Sarah smiled wryly. "Gee, thanks, Chloe," she replied. "But since I just did lose that fight... I really shouldn't be sitting here feeling sorry for myself." 

She sighed softly. "I'll be right back." She stood up and headed for the door, not giving Sarah a chance to protest. She noticed the Impala gone from the parking lot and she moved to the next room, knocking lightly on the door before entering without waiting for an invitation. 

"Dean, dammit, I told you I didn't want to go," Sam said, still lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Trying so hard to keep his thoughts clear of everything. So he was completely shocked when he felt the sting of a sharp slap across his face. "What the hell?!" he demanded, sitting up and looking at Chloe's seriously angry face. 

"Get up," she said without a hint of joking in her voice. "Right now." 

"Ow, that actually hurt," he said in protest, but he managed to pull himself off the bed and hovered over her. "What the hell was that for?" he asked quietly. 

"I don't know what happened between you and Sarah, but she's been crying. So I suggest you go over there and fix whatever the hell you did wrong." 

Sam blinked in surprise and concern. "She is?" He closed his eyes and sagged back onto the mattress, looking down at the floor. 

Taking in a deep breath to rein in her anger, she gazed at him intently. "Look...I know you've got a lot on your mind, Sam. And I can't pretend to know exactly how you feel. But this..." She motioned toward him and the bed. "Isn't healthy and it's not helping. You or anyone else." 

"Thanks, Oprah." She was right, though, he thought warily. She was right. He had to stop this. He didn't know how, though. 

Rolling her eyes, she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm serious, Sam. You need to get outta this room." 

He looked up at her with empty eyes. "Yeah, I'm aware of that, Chloe." He stood up and moved away from her. "I'll go talk to her, alright?" 

She reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry for..." 

"Don't, alright?" he rasped, jerking his arm away. "Just... don't." Not giving her a chance to respond, he strode out the door and went next door, knocking loudly on Sarah's door.

Sarah jumped out of her seat, startled by the sound and afraid that she knew who it was. She padded to the door and opened it, finding Sam on the other side. "Hey," she whispered, keeping her tear-stained eyes on the carpet. 

"Hey," he said quietly, not looking at her. "Uh...look, I'm sorry about before." 

She snorted softly to herself and turned her back to him. "Yeah, I'm sure," she replied quietly as she walked back into the room. 

"Sarah." His voice was soft. "I really am sorry." 

"So am I, Sam." She turned around and looked at him, unshed tears in her eyes. "Why won't you let me in?" 

"Because I'm afraid I'll hurt you," he whispered, tears in his own eyes. 

She sighed in frustration and gave him a look. "Don't you know by now that I can take care of myself? That you're hurting me now?" 

Sam flinched a little at her words and looked down at the floor, feeling guilty and ashamed. Because she wasn't the only one he was hurting. "I'm not trying to." 

"Well you are. It's hurting all of us." She took a step towards him. "We all love you. Why don't you have faith in us?" she whispered tearfully. 

"I do, Sarah," he whispered in a strained voice. "I just...don't have any in myself." 

His dejected and depressed tone made her cry. The tears slipping down her face, she took a couple more steps towards him. "But I have faith in you... and so do Dean and Chloe. Isn't that enough?" 

Sam closed his eyes. He wished like hell it was. He wished he could be certain that he would never wake up and be a different person, a person filled with evil who would kill them one by one. 

"You're not evil," she continued, reading his thoughts on his face. "I know you're not." She was determined to at least pull him out of his shell enough to realize he was going to be okay... no matter what. 

"Yet, "he whispered. "That doesn't mean..." 

"You aren't!" she shouted suddenly, her frustration reaching its pinnacle. "Ya know, if I didn't love you so damn much I'd have given up by now. But I know Sam." She jabbed at her chest where her heart was. "Right here. I know deep down that you're no more evil than I am." 

A tear slipped down his cheek and he slowly lifted his head to look at her. 

The haunted, empty look in his eyes crushed her. She put her face into her hands and sobbed, unable to stare at those troubled hazel eyes. "Sam," she whispered brokenly, his name being the only thing to come out of her mouth. 

Swallowing hard, he hesitantly moved closer and slid his arms around her. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. 

Melting into his embrace, she couldn't stop her tears from falling. 

He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, closing his eyes and gathering her more closely into his arms. And when Dean returned a little while later, that was how he found them, watching in surprise before ducking back out of the room unnoticed. 

With a stupid grin on his face, Dean headed for his room, knowing Chloe had to be inside. Pulling the door open, he threw the sack of food on the table and laughed. "That's my boy." He saw Chloe sitting on his bed, looking at him with a curious look on her face. 

She raised an eyebrow. "I take it they made up?" 

"You did that?" he asked, nodding towards the other room. "Hell, yeah, I'd say they're making up." He sat down beside her and slung an arm around her. 

"I didn't do it," she said with a small shrug, leaning against him. 

He laughed. "Wanna tell me how you got him out of this room? Cause I've done everything but beat the hell outta him." He kissed the top of her head lightly. 

"I sorta...slapped him," she confessed, feeling a bit guilty about that. 

He shook his head, pulling her close to him. "Damn, wish I had done that.... He'll thank you for that one day," he replied. 

"Oh, I don't know. He was pretty pissed." She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a breath. 

"That's good," he replied, playing with the nape of her neck. "It's the first honest emotion he's felt since..." He grimaced at the memory of telling Sam about being part demon. 

"I know." She placed a soft kiss to his collarbone, letting out a slow breath. "I have a way of pissing people off." 

"Have I mentioned how much I love that fact?" He leaned into her kisses, his body going limp yet hardening at the same time. 

Chloe smiled faintly and didn't respond. 

&&&&&

Early the next morning, Sam crept out of Sarah's room, leaving her sleeping on her bed in peace. Being with her had helped clear his head, but he knew it would be awhile before he could patch things up with his brother. And Chloe.

So it was with downcast eyes that he unlocked the other door and opened it to find Dean wide awake and dressed, watching Chloe sleep from the chair.

Dean looked up from his thoughts and noticed Sam in the doorway. "Morning, dude," he whispered with a knowing grin. "Slept well, did we?" 

"Shut up, Dean," he said, though his voice wasn't harsh. He kept his voice soft, not wanting to wake the sleeping blonde. 

He cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, little brother finally got some huh?" He stood up and moved to Sam, who still stood in the doorway. "Do I need to ask if you're...?" 

He gave his brother a look. "Ask if I'm what?" 

He grunted. "Okay? Sane? Not being stupid anymore?" 

Sam drew in a breath and looked away. "I'm fine. Sarah's sleeping." He glanced toward where Chloe lay and then looked back at his brother. "She hit me." 

"Yeah, she told me. Can't believe I didn't do it myself." 

He gave him a wry look. "She hits hard." He rubbed his jaw a little at the memory. 

He chuckled and looked at the woman on the bed. "Thank God she doesn't hit like a girl," he said with a smile. "Did it help?" 

A very faint smile touched his lips. "Yeah. I guess so." He scratched his head. "I kinda owe her an apology." 

He sighed. "She'll forgive you," he whispered, looking away from his brother. "Question is, you gonna forgive yourself?" 

Sam didn't answer. "Hey, listen, I talked to Sarah and she told me what was going on with this whole thing and...I got to thinking..." 

He rolled his eyes. "That's all you two did? Whatever... they don't want us along for this ride, Sam." He gave his brother a very pointed look. 

"It doesn't matter. Look, I had that vision for a reason, Dean, and I'm not taking a backseat on this. I think I know where this is all going down." 

Dean opened the door and grabbed Sam's arm, pulling him outside and shutting the door behind them softly. "Okay, College Boy, whatcha got?" 

"I remembered something else from my vision," he told his brother. "The place where this was all happening...it was dark...and really hot...like, in some kind of factory." He gazed intently at Dean. 

Dean crossed his arms. "A factory?" He thought for a moment and smiled. "There are all kinds of factories around here, Sam. Sugar factories." 

"And Tabasco," he said with a faint smirk. "And I happen to remember seeing a bottle of that in my vision, too." 

"Oh, so I get to tour that factory after all?" he asked with a cheeky smile. He knew if they were going, they'd have to do it now. While the girls were sleeping. 

"Let's get this thing done," he said, a glimmer of something in his eyes. 

"About damn time you came back," he grumbled, biting back the laughter that rumbled in his chest. He opened the hotel room door long enough to grab his coat and keys. "The girls are gonna hate us for this," he said, leading the way to the car. 

"They'll get over it." He smirked and headed for the passenger seat. 

Roaring the Impala into life, he knew they would. Because nothing was stopping them from investigating that plant for potential illegal body stashing activity.

&&&&&

Sarah stirred, expecting Sam to still be in the room with her. After their long talk and falling asleep in his arms, she was a little more than discontented to discover her was nowhere to be found. Getting out of bed, she pulled on her jacket, remembering she was still fully dressed, and went next door and knocked. 

Chloe yawned at the knocking at the door and she slowly sat up, her eyebrows furrowing when she saw Dean wasn't there. She pulled her robe on and headed for the door, squinting against the sunlight as she saw Sarah standing there. "Hey. Come on in." 

Shivering slightly against the humid chill in the air, Sarah stepped in and looked around the room. "Dean's not in here?" she asked immediately, concern in her eyes. 

"No, I figured he was next door checking on Sam...who is clearly not next door because otherwise you wouldn't be here." She stared at Sarah for a moment, then pulled the door open again and looked outside. "Shit!" 

"Oh no," she mused, following Chloe's eyes to the empty parking place where the Impala used to be. She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed them gently. "Where the hell have they gone?" She knew it wasn't to get food. 

Chloe's jaw tensed. "He is so in the doghouse," she mumbled, quickly moving to the closet to change clothes. 

Sarah sagged into a chair, just as angry though too weary to show it. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath. "Don't suppose you know where they took off to?" 

Raking a hand through her hair, Chloe moved across the room and grabbed her cell phone off the table, dialing Dean's number. "Not a clue. But I'm gonna find out." 

Dean's phone chirped to life and he immediately answered it. "Hi honey, you're up early," he crooned. 

"Where are you?" she asked immediately, turning to face Sarah. 

"Oh, you mean me and Sam?" he asked innocently.

Sarah's eyes grew dark at Chloe's infuriated look. God, the man gets a decent night's sleep and is suddenly off to the races, she thought with a wry smile. 

Her jaw tensed. "Yes, you and Sam." 

Dean looked over at Sam and smiled. "Oh we're just driving. Going no place special." 

Sam grinned and remained silent. 

"Yeah, right and I just sprouted antennae," she snapped. "Dean, I'm not kidding...where are you?" 

"Chill out, Chlo," he replied with a frown. "Sam and I are checking something out. We'll be back in a little while, okay? You two... don't get your panties in a wad." 

"If you don't tell me where you're going, you're not getting my panties ever again," she said angrily. 

"Sexual threats. Nice," Dean grumbled, giving his brother a look. "Women.... fine, we're going to the Tabasco plant." 

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why the Tabasco plant?" she asked, looking over at Sarah. 

"Sammy's got a lead, and we didn't want to wake you two," he replied.

"The Tabasco plant?" Sarah asked herself, confused. 

"Dammit, I thought we talked about this, Dean!" 

He held the phone away from his ear. "Jesus, do you have to scream? God, it's not like Sam and I haven't been doing this a helluva lot longer than you two have!" He could feel her wrath through the phone, and it pissed him off. 

"And I told you I had a bad feeling!" 

"And I told you that everything's gonna be okay!" 

Pissed, she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up on him. "Son of a bitch." 

"Fuck!" Dean shouted, hearing the click and dial tone on the other. "She hung up on me!" He shut his phone shut and threw it down, slamming on the gas. 

Sam shook his head a little. "I don't get it...why does she want us to stay outta this?" 

He sighed. "It's a long story, dude." 

Shrugging and figuring it wasn't any of his business, he just nodded. 

&&&&&

"I'm calling a cab," Chloe told Sarah, moving over to the phone. 

"Where are they going?" she asked, a frown on her face. She'd never seen Chloe so ticked off before. Not that she blamed her: Sam just taking off like he did seemed... odd. 

"The Tabasco Plant. Apparently Sam has some kind of lead. Probably remembered something from his vision." She grabbed the phone and dialed the operator. 

"Tell the cab to get here ASAP. I'll pay anything." She was gonna kill Sam when she saw him again. 

Chloe submitted the tense but polite request. "I'm gonna get some things from the other room." She met Sarah's eyes briefly before turning and exiting.

Sarah followed Chloe into their room and grabbed some of the things they had bought at the mall, her gun included. Her hand shook a little in anxiety and fear. 

She drew in a breath and looked at Sarah uneasily before she hesitantly tucked the gun into the back of her jeans' waistband. "You ready?" 

She chuckled in fear. "No, but how else are we gonna get them back?" Grabbing her coat, she heard the taxi drive up, tires screeching. 

"Maybe we'll get lucky and they won't be in trouble," she said with a grim smile. 

"When was the last time that happened?" Sarah smirked, leaving the room for the waiting cab. 

"Hey, a girl can dream, right?" 

As she watched Chloe slid in next to her in the backseat of the taxi, Sarah sighed in resignation. Knowing the Winchester brothers, trouble seemed to find them no matter what.

&&&&&

"Dude, you know where the hell we're going?" Dean asked Sam, who was picking the lock to the back door of the Tabasco plant. 

"I'm hoping I will when we get inside," he responded in a whisper. 

"Fantastic." Dean watched Sam unlock the door and open it quietly. It was still too early for anyone to be around, but the creaking door resounded in the semi-dark large building. He pointed his gun into the darkness, keeping his brother's back as he led them through the rows of machinery. 

"This looks kinda familiar," he murmured as they passed through a darkened corridor. 

"How familiar?" he whispered back, pointing his gun in the direction of a sudden shuffling noise. 

"Very fam--" He was cut off when something hit him hard from the side. He hit the floor with a loud thud, groaning as the wind was knocked out of him. 

"Sam!" Dean shouted, trying to find his brother's attacker. That only lasted a few seconds, however, because he felt something come up from behind him and pound him in the back of the head. He fell to his knees, seeing stars, as he fell unconscious. 

The man holding the tire iron smiled widely. "I've been waiting for the two of you for a long, long time," he said with a twisted smile. 

&&&&&

Sarah was the first one to spot the Impala as they pulled up to the parking lot. "They're here," she whispered, her anxiety reaching an all-time high. 

Feeling uneasy, Chloe paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the back, taking note of the man's nervous look. "Thanks for the ride." 

"I don't see where they snuck in," she whispered, scanning the front of the plant. "Then again, they'd probably go through the back door, right?" 

"That's what I'd do," Chloe admitted, biting her lower lip. "Let's keep low." 

Quietly, Sarah followed Chloe around the plant towards a door that looked slightly ajar. Must have been where the guys went in, she thought as they crept towards the door. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she thought it might explode. Something told her to reach for her gun from her purse, so she did as they slipped through the door. And into near darkness. 

There was something in the air--stale and evil, Chloe thought, grimacing as she kept her back to the wall and moved slowly, clutching her own weapon tightly. She glanced at Sarah in the darkness, every muscle in her body tense. There was definitely trouble ahead. 

She wished she had brought a flashlight, though maybe groping in the dark was better than knowing something was in this massive factory out to get them. She felt Chloe's eyes on her and she nodded, though she knew neither could see each other. Something was wrong, and she was afraid the guys were in the middle of it.

Turning a corner, her foot connected with something slick, causing her to nearly fall. "Crap," she whispered, gaining her footing. 

Chloe instinctively reached out and caught her arm, helping to steady her once more. She could hear the sound of her own heart beating heavily in her chest and if she hadn't known better she'd be afraid whatever or whoever was in the factory with them could hear it too. She slowly led the way down the darkened, nearly pitch black corridor, pausing when she heard soft chanting in the distance. That definitely can't be good, she thought, swallowing hard. 

Sarah nearly bumped into Chloe, not expecting her to stop so suddenly. However, when she heard the chanting, too, she froze. Whatever it was surely wasn't English; in fact, it sounded more French than anything. Several hundred feet in front of them shone a very faint light. Tapping Chloe on the back, she muttered in a nearly inaudible voice, "That's them." What was worse, they still hadn't run into Sam and Dean. Fingers of terror slipped down her spine. 

Nodding very slightly, Chloe crept closer, ducking down low to the floor and peering inside where a large group of people in dark robes were circled around some kind of altar, various body parts sewn together. She grimaced, feeling queasy and quickly shifted her gaze to look around the rest of the room. 

"Which will be the heart and which will be the brain?" a shadowy figure whispered. The voice was close to the door and Chloe shuddered involuntarily. 

"The tall one's heart is far too pure for this purpose. We'll use his brain," the other responded in a low tone. 

Swallowing hard, Chloe had the sickening feeling the tall one they were discussing was Sam. And sure enough, when she shifted her gaze to the other side of the room, she spotted both brothers, tied to chairs back to back, gagged and immobile. 

She quickly moved back over to Sarah, her eyes wide with fear. 

Chloe's eyes mirrored the terror she felt at seeing Dean and Sam, gagged and bound and seemingly unconscious, while she saw the shapes of four people actively discussing what body part should come from which guy. She shuddered in horror and nearly dropped the gun held in her hand.

"Very well," the lead figure replied. "We'll use the short one's heart. He looks like a killer."

She felt Chloe go still, and she followed her friend's eyes. On a table, hidden by shadow in the corner, laid something large. Though it was covered by a sheet, Sarah knew it was this... thing... Sam had seen in his vision. It was incomplete; they lacked only the heart and brain. Dean's heart and Sam's brain. Her face turned white as a sheet.

"Look it's getting light outside," one of the others in the room complained. "We need to operate now in order to maintain the freshness. We can't get this wrong." 

Blinking back her terror, Chloe swallowed hard, knowing they were going to have to move fast before the guys ended up being the last pieces of this psychotic science experiment. She shot a glance at Sarah and nodded slightly toward the door, silently willing Sarah to follow her lead. She rose to her feet, gripping the gun tightly in both hands and crept forward, approaching the dim light shining from the room. Suck it up, Sullivan. You can do this, she thought, steeling her nerves. And then she stepped into the room. "Well, what's going on in here?" she said in an even, almost bored tone as she pointed her gun at the leader. 

"Can we join the party?" Sarah asked, her voice as even-toned as the woman standing next to her, though she had to consciously fight down the bile rising in her throat. She pointed the gun at another member of the group and smirked.

The leader merely laughed at the girl's attempts at non-nonchalance. "So you're here. To save these two, I assume?" He indicated his hand towards the unconscious men in the chairs. He looked at the others in the room. "If things don't go well, maybe we can use these two."

"But if this is going to channel --" The member who'd spoken shut up with a look from the leader. 

Chloe cocked the gun, aiming lower. Right at the leader's groin. "I think you better have one of your lackeys untie them before you never get to have little psychos running around," she said without a hint of kidding in her voice. 

"You think that scares me, little girl?" he snarled, putting a hand up to keep the others from moving. "Don't you know there are other ways to procreate?"

Sarah paled a little but kept her gun pointed at the only female member of the group: the one who had tried to protest. She stared at her, mentally willing her to release the guys before something horrible happened. 

"There aren't if you're dead," Chloe informed him matter-of-factly. "Well, unless you get a bunch of psycho freaks together to create a monster you won't be able to control. You did read the ending of Frankenstein, right?" 

Sam groaned a little, his head throbbing as he slowly began to regain consciousness. His vision was blurry but out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Sarah and Chloe in the doorway...with guns. 

"Ah, but Victor Frankenstein had it all wrong," the man replied, his eyes scanning the length of the body they had pieced together. "This creature won't be used for just a mere mortal, who will question whether or not he has a soul."

Sarah caught a slight movement from the guy's direction and saw Sam staring at them. She used her eyes to plead him to stay still, even though she saw him struggle a little with his bonds. Glancing at the leader, she snapped, "Oh really? So when it non-soulfully goes on a killing spree, you're just gonna sit back and watch your work?" 

"Of course not. Because that thing wakes up and the first thing it's gonna do is go after you," Chloe responded in a cold tone. "You really think you're going to be able to control the monstrosity?" 

Sam winced a little as he fumbled with the ropes binding his hands, intentionally jabbing his brother hard in the arm. 

Dean winced in pain, which brought the fuzzy voices he'd been hearing in his head to his eyes. His head was pounding from the knock he'd gotten, but he had been through much worse. When he saw Chloe and Sarah, however, he frowned and forced his hands to move, slowly loosening the binds on his hands.

"This isn't a monstrosity, young woman," the man replied calmly. "He's a god. Our god. One who will direct and lead the evil forces on Earth."

"Oh, you mean this Kalfu guy I've been reading about on Wikipedia?" Sarah asked, amusement in her voice to mask the sheer terror she felt at his words. 

Chloe snorted. "So you worship a bunch of dead parts all sewn together by a seamstress? And a really bad one at that." She didn't dare look away from the man, her gun trained on him without waver. "I'm sure your 'god' appreciates the pitiful sentiment." 

"He will give us powers you have no conception of!" the man roared, dragging two people over to where Dean and Sam were seated. "And you two will be a witness to his rise!" He shoved the cart of terrible-looking surgical instruments at them.

"I don't think so," Dean snarled, standing up with a jerk. "Practice your medieval torture on someone else." He grabbed the leader by the throat and shoved him against the wall. 

Sam grabbed one of the other guys and made quick work of tying him to a chair. 

As one of the others approached him, Chloe aimed her gun at him. "Don't even think about it," she warned. 

Sarah grabbed the rope that had held Dean and dragged the woman follower into the chair. "Sit still while I tie you up, because I won't be responsible for what happens if this gun goes off," she warned, her voice low and angry as she wrapped the ties tightly around the woman's wrists.

"Know what happens to people who try to play God?" Dean warned in a low menacing voice, squeezing the man's throat until he started turning colors. 

"Dean," Chloe warned sharply. 

Sam glanced up at his brother. "Stop it," he said, rising to his feet. 

Dean hesitated for a moment but kept his fingers wrapped around the man, who was now turning an interesting shade of purple. "He wanted to kill you, Sam." 

"He wanted to kill both of us," he replied, alarmed as he moved to his brother's side. 

"But I don't matter," he whispered, knowing Sam would never look at him the same if he killed this man. Hesitantly, he released him, watching the guy crumble to the floor.

Walking up to Dean, Sarah handed him some rope. "Hey, at least we can tie him up." She glanced at Sam, irritation and relief in her eyes. 

Sam looked back at her worriedly before moving to help his brother tie the guy up. "What's gonna stop them from trying this again?" he asked uncertainly, glancing over at the altar. 

Chloe lowered her gun slowly, following his gaze. "This ritual can only be done once every twenty-six years," she said quietly. "Once today's over..." She shrugged a little. 

Dean rolled his eyes and grunted, "So you're telling me we need to keep these guys occupied until then?"

Sarah shook her head. "Not really. We call the cops on them and... dump the thing they found?" 

Chloe grimaced a little, not very eager to touch the messily assembled body. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said grimly. 

Sam nodded slightly. "One of us can get rid of the...thing while the others stay here to make sure these guys don't go anywhere until it's time for the police to get here." 

Fighting back the bile, Sarah swallowed hard. "I'll go dump that... thing." She looked at Sam, face pale and hands trembling as she put her gun back in her purse.

"Yeah, you two go," Dean replied, seeing Sarah close to passing out. "I'm sure Chloe has lots of things to say to me while you're gone." He looked in her direction but not at her: he could feel the anger in her eyes piercing him. 

Sam drew in a breath, making a face as he pulled the sheet back to reveal the horrid patchwork body on the table. "I got it, Sarah. Can you grab the door?" he asked, lifting it off the table. 

She nodded faintly. "Yeah." She refused to look at Sam or the body as he picked it up and marched for the back door. She practically ran out ahead of him in an effort to literally keep it together until that thing was gone.

Dean watched Sam and Sarah leave before turning his eyes to Chloe. "Nice moves for a girl who doesn't know how to shoot," he said wryly. 

She didn't look the least bit amused. "Not like I was left with much of a choice." 

He frowned and took a step towards her. His head felt like it had been rammed into a Mac truck, but he refused to let her know that. "For once, can't you just let it go?" he demanded. "Let me take care of things?" 

"If I'd let you take care of things, your heart and Sam's brain would now be being used to bring a Voodoo God to life," she retorted. 

"Hey, I had things under control." He glared at her, knowing full well she wasn't buying it. "Besides, it was Sam's idea to go." 

"Whatever, Dean." She handed the gun to him and turned to head out the door. 

"Chloe --" he called, snatching the gun from her and grabbing her arm with his free hand. "What do you want me to say? Thank you? Cause, okay, you and Sarah saved our butts. But come on! It's not like I'm used to taking a backseat to --" His words were cut off by a smart slap from her, her open palm meeting his already bruised cheek. 

"To a couple of girls?" she finished, glaring at him. "Fine. Then the next time you and Sam decide to be idiots, you can figure a way to save your own body parts from being chopped off by whatever lunatic's after you." 

"We are not idiots!" he roared, gently rubbing his hurting cheek with a hand. "Why can't you two get it through your heads that we're just trying to protect you? We've been in a helluva lot worse situations than this!" He turned around and saw the leader smirking at him and cocked the gun. He pointed it at the man's head. "Say a fucking word and you're toast." 

"When are you gonna get it through your heads that we're not helpless?" Chloe demanded. "Granted, my name's not Jo, but I'm pretty damn capable of taking care of myself!" 

He felt like knocking himself unconscious again by pounding his head repeatedly against the wall. He almost preferred her when she had been brainwashed and angsty. At least then he didn't have to deal with her mouth. "Yeah, about that. You managed to get yourself kidnapped and hurt in New Orleans, and let's not forget the crazy ass preacher who used your love for fucking Clark Kent to turn you into a walking zombie." 

Her face paled, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "You know what, Dean? Fuck you," she whispered darkly before turning around and walking out. 

Watching her go, he whispered, "Yeah, you already did that, too." He leaned against the wall and looked up, knowing that everything good and decent in him just left with her. And he didn't know if there was anything he could do to make things right again. 

&&&&&

Sam wasn't sure which one of them was in more hot water--Dean or himself. Though by the time they reached the nearest bar for dinner that night, on their way out of Louisiana, he definitely knew it wasn't him. Chloe hadn't spoken or looked at Dean even once since before he and Sarah had dumped the thing in the woods. Of course, the blonde hadn't spoken more than a couple of words to him, either. Sarah was unusually quiet as well, though he was pretty sure it was more out of worry for Chloe than anger at him, though he was sure there was some of that mixed in as well. "Who's hungry?" 

Sarah glanced at him and nodded but said nothing. She was far too worried about Chloe to actually eat anything substantial. Whatever Dean said to her to enforce this silence made her want to beat Sam's brother to a bloody pulp. And maybe Sam, too, for wanting to go along on that fool's errand.

"I am," Dean shouted over the canned music from the jukebox. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." He looked around for someone to take their order and looked at Chloe, who was staring into nothing, her eyes hard and emotionless. 

She felt his gaze on her but ignored it and moved to the bar, sitting down on one of the stools without looking to see if any of them had followed her. She set her ID on the countertop and looked up at the bartender, who just happened to be pretty cute. She flashed him a smile. "Tequila please," she said. 

Sam arched his eyebrows at her actions, wondering exactly what stupid thing his brother had said to her this time. 

Sarah watched the blonde go and even flirt with the bartender, so she knew Dean was in some deep shit. "Excuse me," she replied in a short even voice, scooting out of the booth and walking towards Chloe. She sat down next to her, slapped her own ID on the table and said, "Make that two."

Dean watched the girls from the bar and bowed his head. Great, he thought. Just wonderful. "Feel free to beat the hell outta me at any time, Sammy," he whispered. 

"What the hell did you say to her, Dean?" Sam whispered back, shaking his head, his eyes wide. 

Sighing, he looked at his brother. "Basically I forgot to thank her for saving our sorry hides and that she and Sarah couldn't take care of themselves. But she brought up Jo, and that just..." He shook his head. "No, there's no excuse for what I said." 

Grimacing a little, he looked back at where the girls were sitting at the bar. "Sarah will talk to her," he murmured. "Let's grab a table. Maybe she needs some space." 

Space at this point might have meant Chloe just up and leaving, which Dean knew couldn't happen. He nodded, willing to let his brother find a table for them to sit at. "I need a drink," he muttered. "A really strong one." 

Sam couldn't help but agree. After the last few days, drowning his sorrows didn't sound half bad. 

&&&&&

Chloe stared intently at her drink, feeling Sarah's gaze on her. "I'm all right." 

"Yeah, and Sam and I are eloping to Vegas tomorrow," she retorted, knocking back a shot and looking at the bartender for another. "He's kinda cute." 

"Sam?" she responded absently. 

"No, the bartender," she replied, noting Chloe's careless response. She snuck a look at the guys and saw the look on Dean's face. She got the distinct impression that based on the events tonight, he was afraid he would lose Chloe for good. "What'd he say to you, Chloe?" she asked, turning back to her friend. 

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips. "Doesn't matter," she answered, her body tense. She was silent for a moment. "I think it may be time for me to...go back home." 

Sarah blinked in surprise. "Wow, he really must have done a number on you," she whispered, looking down in despair. "Bastard." 

"The problem is, I was stupid enough to let him get close enough to hurt me." Her jaw tensed and she picked up her glass of tequila and took a long drink. "After Clark, I should've learned my lesson." 

Sipping on another shot, Sarah observed Chloe carefully. She knew how much her friend loved Dean. Loved him in ways she never conceived with Clark. She straightened in her seat. "Can I tell you something I've observed about Dean?" she asked softly, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder. 

She turned her head to look at her friend. "You mean other than the fact he's an ass?" 

She smiled. "That's a given, but there's something else going on here, I think. Now, I don't know much about this... but I think Dean suffers from being 'the older brother'." Her gaze held Chloe's, hoping she was willing to listen to her theory. 

Arching an eyebrow, Chloe remained silent, waiting for Sarah to continue. 

She took a deep breath. "Okay, their mother died when Sam was, like, six months old? So I bet Dean raised Sam while he was trying to grow up, too. Their dad probably expected him to do that... so now Dean's got this notion that anyone around him is his responsibility to keep safe and sound. I know he loves you, Chloe, so... he probably gives you the same hard time he does Sam." She snuck a glance at the guys and saw both of them looking in their direction. Flushing, she looked away. 

She was quiet for a moment, gazing at the countertop. "I don't doubt that," she admitted softly. "But... with everything going on with Sam...the last thing he needs is another responsibility. And if he can't or won't let me do my part in this whole thing..." She shook her head a little, her heart sinking. "Then I'm doing much good just hanging around, am I?" Chloe turned and glanced over her shoulder at the guys, meeting Dean's gaze for a few seconds before looking away. "He'd be better off if I went back to Metropolis. One less person to worry about." She downed the rest of her drink quickly and set the empty glass back on the bar. Then she slowly stood up. "I think I'm gonna catch a cab back to the hotel. See you later?" 

Sarah frowned and stood up with Chloe. "I think the last thing you need to do is take off, Chlo. You two love each other, and you have to show him that you can take care of yourself. I think you've done a pretty damn good job of that so far, because we're both learning, but if he hasn't seen it yet..." Her voice trailed off as she got a sudden idea. "I'll go with you." 

"To Metropolis?" She looked at Sarah, both surprised and puzzled. 

"Yeah, to Metropolis," she replied, taking another look at the guys. "I sometimes get the feeling Sam would be better off without me, too, so... why not show them how we can live without them?" She saw the confusion in Chloe's eyes and smiled sadly. "I'm not letting you go off by yourself, either, you know. Never know when you might need some backup." 

Chloe tilted her head to one side, studying Sarah for a moment, then turning to look at the guys. Her eyes were intense. Meeting Dean's gaze once more, she nodded slightly. "All right. Let's go." 

Casting one last look in Sam's direction, her green eyes meeting his troubled hazel ones, she agreed. "Call that cab. Can't waste any time." Turning around, she left the bar without looking back.

Dean saw the determination in Chloe's eyes and watched as she and Sarah left the bar. "Where the hell are they going?" he demanded, gripping the table so hard he could have broken it in two. 

"I don't know. But I think we'd better find out." Sam quickly rose to his feet and headed for the door. 

Dean followed, moving around Sam and barely catching Chloe outside the bar, where he found her waiting with Sarah. Both wore the same expression and a numbness he had never felt before crept into his heart. "Where are you going?" he repeated, his voice low and raspy with confusion. 

"We're waiting on a cab," Chloe said without turning to look at him. Her voice was distant. 

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "If you'd rather go back to the hotel and order in we can drive you in the Impala," he offered. 

"We're not ordering in, Sam," Sarah replied, looking into his eyes. "We're leaving."

Dean's heart felt like it was being torn out as he dragged his eyes to look at Sarah. "What?" he whispered, the agony in his voice. He silently begged Chloe to say this wasn't true. 

Stupefied, Sam stared as well. "What?" he echoed his brother, surprise and hurt in his voice. "Leaving...where?" 

"Metropolis," Chloe responded quietly. 

"No," Dean replied without hesitation, the determination in his voice evident. "I know I've fucked up and you probably hate me, but dammit, you can't leave." He looked at her staring at the ground and wanted to sink beneath it. "Please," he rasped, feeling more ashamed than he ever had in his life.

Sarah glanced at Sam but didn't meet his eyes. "Chloe needs a friend, so I'm going with her." 

The cab rolled up and Chloe stood still for a long moment, staring blankly at it. 

"Dude, what the hell did you say to her?" Sam demanded, turning to glare at Dean. 

Not answering Sam, he grabbed Chloe's arm and dragged her a few feet from where Sarah and Sam stood, both looking on with mingled anger, confusion, and fear. He planted her in front of him. And grimaced, because he didn't know how to start. He only knew if she left his life would be over. He'd hang up hunting and go off somewhere to die, because what was the point of going on without her? "I don't know how to show you I'm sorry, but I'm begging you. Please stay with me, Chloe." 

She diverted her eyes from his face. It hurt too much to look at him. "For what?" she asked distantly. "You don't need me. And if you do...you've got my number. Research can be done via phone and email." 

The hell he didn't need her, he grumbled to himself, though she was too angry to see it. And rightfully so, too. "Fine, don't stay for me. Stay for Sam. He needs you and Sarah. I can't help him through this." He looked down, his voice honest, admitting defeat where his brother was concerned. 

"That's low even for you," she whispered, his words having the guilty effect on her she knew he was hoping for. 

"Hey, I'm actually not lying," he replied, taking a step away and turning his back to her. "You know how to talk to Sam on a level I have never been able to. Maybe it's because I'm just his older brother." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Stay for Sam. Forget about me." 

Her jaw tightening, she looked away, folding her arms across her chest. The cab honked, causing her to flinch slightly. Looking over her shoulder at Sarah and holding the other girl's gaze for a moment, she shifted her eyes to Sam, who was gazing back at her with confusion and uncertainty. She moved over to the cab and rested her hands on the passenger side window. "You can go on," she said dully.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean watched the cab pull away. He still felt like a million dollar ass, however. Turning towards her, he replied, "I'm sorry I did what I promised myself I'd never do." He headed towards the Impala to wait for the others. 

Chloe didn't respond, simply followed him and crawled into the backseat. 

Looking at Sarah and still feeling very confused, Sam shook his head a little. "You have any idea what just happened here?" 

Sarah nodded, though she didn't look at him. "Dean groveled and used some tactic to make Chloe stay." She thought he might have used Sam and his current predicament to do that, but she didn't dare tell him that. 

He sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why do I get the feeling we're going to be playing referee for awhile?" he muttered. 

Taking his hand and squeezing it gently, she whispered, "Because that's what happens when you're caught in the crossfire." She looked up and smiled sadly before letting him go and walking towards the Impala. 

Sighing softly, he watched her go, then slowly followed. She was right. He just hoped it wouldn't last very long.


End file.
